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Help a far away newbie

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by AbuS3ood, Mar 11, 2010.

  1. AbuS3ood

    AbuS3ood Member

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    Location:
    Jordan
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Hello all,

    I live in the middle east (Jordan) and have recently got my 86k 2006 Prius from the USA,

    the car is great and doing very well but since its not a common car here and the hybrid cars is still new technology, its hard to find experienced people to help you with ur car (even the TOYOTA vendor itself).

    Im facing 3 little problems and need ur support as a great prius community.

    1.Rear Defrogger :it almost does not defrog anything, when i press the button on the steering or the climate screen the light appears on the dashboard, but no frog goes away :S, i got the manual and checked the DOME fuse it was ok, i checked the voltage in the lines its was as required in the repair manual, when i turn off the rear defrogger the voltage goes off,the mirrors defroggers works well what to do???.

    2.Oil Change: i got the car fax for my car and it was well-maintained and on-time. i wanna change the engine oil with filter, what is the exact amount i should place on the car ?! is 3.3 liters as i read on some post including the filter change?

    3. BAD MPG: its my second full tank and still getting 34-37 mpg average ?!!!! is that ok? my way to work is about 21 mile going and another back, when going the road is almost uphill and i have 3 guys with me, but on my way back i have only one guy with me and the road is just going down. is that normal? what should i check? the tires are on 42 psi front and 40 rear(GoodRide brand!), and also the temp is around 65 F and my driving is not that bad for MPG, please help!!!!!

    4. Please check me the attached car fax(maintenance section) and inform me what do i need to do because im going to the dealer next week, the car is now 86 k , and also any notes i need to know.


    All your help is appreciated
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 AbuS3ood, Mar 11, 2010
  2. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    #1 I can't say anything about.

    #2. I wouldn't rely on straight numbers to fill the car (I do the ballpark-then-trial-and-dipstick-measurement method), but 3.3 sounds about right.

    #3. It's possible that you need a new 12V battery. Check the voltages (there's a thread about how to do that by putting the car into maintenance mode by holding down some buttons on start-up and then flipping the headlights on and off 3 times)

    #4. You could do the 90k service early to kind of "refresh" the car a little and make sure nothing's out-of-order....

    Service interval descriptions: Prius Service Guide
     
    #2 a_gray_prius, Mar 11, 2010
  3. Doorknob

    Doorknob Junior Member

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    I agree... for #3, I think it's the 12V battery too. May run you about 200USD for the battery. Good luck. should be an easy DIY
     
    #3 Doorknob, Mar 11, 2010
  4. AbuS3ood

    AbuS3ood Member

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    Model:
    III
    :) can you please tell me how to ensure that the battery is not functioning well ? i can easily access the secret screen but didnt see anything about the 12v battery,

    Doorknob :),when you live in USA it would be easy to do it and buy a genuine battery for 200$,i can let u imagine the prices right here from the toyota vendor

    4 sparks kit = 75$
    front brakes = 70$
    oil filter = 9$
    engine air filter = 21$
    cabin air filter!!!!!! = 55$
     
    #4 AbuS3ood, Mar 11, 2010
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Regarding #1, make the Prius READY, turn on the rear defroster, and use your voltmeter to measure voltage from ground to one of the heating elements on the hatch glass. Find which side of the heating element (either left or right) produces ~14V. Then as you move along the heating element (do not scratch the surface of the element with your voltmeter probe) you should see the voltage gradually taper down to zero.

    Do this test for a few of the heating elements. If you can observe this gradual decline in voltage as you move along the elements, then there's nothing wrong with the defroster heating elements.

    Regarding #3 and #4, I suggest that you check the following:

    1. Raise up the rear tires and make sure the parking brake is not dragging.
    2. Check wheel alignment and set to spec. Maybe your car has excessive toe-in which is causing drag.
    3. Check engine air filter and replace if dirty.
    4. Replace iridium spark plugs (should last 120K miles, but maybe your plugs are marginal.)
    5. Replace transaxle fluid (not on maintenance schedule, but this is good preventive maintenance if Toyota ATF WS is available in your location.)
    6. Besides the above, follow the maintenance schedule for 90K miles.

    Good luck with your Prius.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Mar 11, 2010
  6. AbuS3ood

    AbuS3ood Member

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    thanks a lot all for ur help, i'll do all the checks and report to you, thanks also for your quick response, any additions are welcome.
     
    #6 AbuS3ood, Mar 11, 2010
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Regarding the 12V battery, it sounds like you have a voltmeter available. Just measure voltage across the battery (or at the dedicated positive jumpstart terminal located within the main relay/fuse box) after the car has been IG-OFF for several hours (to dissipate surface charge). You can use the exposed strut mounting nut on the driver's side as a convenient ground point.

    A new fully-charged AGM battery will measure ~12.8V. A discharged battery will be ~11.9V.

    Obviously, the higher the voltage the better. If your battery voltage is low, try charging it overnight to see if that will help (use the 2A charge setting on your charger as the battery has a warning label not to charge at a faster rate than 4A.)

    I recently bought a replacement 12V battery for my 2004, from my local Toyota dealer for ~US$135 plus tax. I recognize this may be more costly in your region. Maybe an aftermarket alternative might be available?
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Mar 11, 2010
  8. kenmce

    kenmce High Voltage Member

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    People here have gone with non-Toyota batteries and done perfectly well. Browse around for details.


    An unreasonable price. People here make their own for $5.00. Browse around.
     
    #8 kenmce, Mar 12, 2010
  9. AbuS3ood

    AbuS3ood Member

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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    thanks again for your help, i have checked the battery voltage from the diagnosis menu and everything was ok and the voltage in different conditions was doing good (i got the way to test from a post on the forum),about the defrogger i have tested the voltage as written on the service manual and thing appeared as required, i'll pass to the dealer soon and check everything, thanks alot.
     
    #9 AbuS3ood, Mar 14, 2010
  10. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    And have you any pictures of the car in its surroundings?
     
    #10 GrumpyCabbie, Mar 14, 2010
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